The mausoleum of Abdi Darun

The mausoleum of Abdi Darun is a memorial ensemble of cult and spiritual and educational significance, which is located in the old cemetery of Samarkand. It is one of the most revered shrines of Islam, located in Central Asia. 

The history of the mausoleum begins with the IX century. It was at this time that the most famous kaziy (judge) of that time, Abd-al Mazeddin, who was also called Khoji Abdi, lived and worked on the territory of modern Samarkand. One of the most respected judges of Samarkand, an expert in Sharia, an honest and just man who lived by the laws of honor and conscience. According to some sources, Kaziy was descended from the revered Caliph Uthman, and hence the Prophet Muhammad. His death occurred around 861, and he was buried in the courtyard of his manor. Over time, other citizens began to be buried around his modest burial. In the XII century, three centuries after the death of Khoja Abdi, by the last sultan of the Seljuks – Sanjar, a square-shaped mausoleum with a dome on top, which stood on an octagonal drum, was erected to him. Because of huge amount of graves around the tomb of Khoja Abdi, the mausoleum designed by the Sultan was very small and contained only the tomb of Kaziy inside. 

So, in the period from the XII to the XX century, a large cemetery was formed around the grave of the city kaziy, and for the first time after the construction of the mausoleum by Sultan Sanjar, its reconstruction was carried out in the XV century by the grandson of Amir Temur, Mirzo-Ulugbek. He ordered to clear the territory around the mausoleum, to attach a khanaka to it – a traditional Sufi monastery with a portal and a dome. Also, by his decree, a square-shaped water reservoir was built near the century-old sycamore trees, next to which small utility rooms were erected. 

The next reconstruction of the mausoleum took place in the XIX century, when it was decided to build a mosque on the western side of the mausoleum, however, it did not survive the reconstruction of the XX century. Also in the XIX century, a minaret was erected near the mausoleum, and a gate was installed in the north-western part of the complex, which leads to the burial of Khoja Abdi. 

In 1905, a madrasah was built at the mausoleum, and it was decided to erect a new mosque building with wide aivans on the site of the XIX century mosque. At the same time, the house was reconstructed, which took on a new, octagonal appearance. 

Today, the center of the Abdi Darun ensemble is the mausoleum of the XII century, in addition, there is a khanaka at the mausoleum, then a mosque, a madrasah, in which there are four hujras (rooms for madrasah students) and a minaret. In the decoration of the mosque, wooden columns are noted, which hold its roof and form ayvans, and in the painting of the walls of the mosque, an attentive visitor will definitely see the names of the masters who erected it. The ceiling of the aivans is wooden, with polychrome painting on it, in the ganch style. Opposite the madrasah there is a guzar (district) mosque. The walls of the mausoleum are completely devoid of any decor, and its double dome is decorated with epigraphic ornaments. The khanaka near the mausoleum is decorated with glazed bricks, and its portals are decorated with geometric patterns in the girih style. The walls of the khanaka are based on a blue geometric panel with mosaics. 

It is noteworthy that from the Tajik language the word “darun” is translated as internal, and “berun” – external. Thus, the Abdi Darun ensemble is located inside the city, within its medieval walls. Another Abdi Berun ensemble, where Khoja Abdi's brother, also respected in the city of Kaziy, is buried, is located outside the city walls of Samarkand. 

The rich history of one of the oldest Islamic ensembles of Central Asia always attracts the attention of residents and guests of the capital of the Temurid state, the pearl of the East – ancient Samarkand. There is a popular belief that anyone who walks around the entire complex 7 times on the day of the great Islamic holiday, Kurban Hait, will be considered to have performed the Hajj.